US offers Turkey $1bn quake aid

Monday 15 November 1999 20.47 EST
First published on Monday 15 November 1999 20.47 EST

Hopes were fading last night of finding more survivors of Turkey's second big earthquake in three months, which struck last week.

The official death toll from Friday's disaster rose above 450, but hundreds more are presumed buried beneath the rubble.

President Clinton, on a state visit, pledged $1bn in loans to help Turkey's recovery.

At a welcoming ceremony at Turkey's presidential palace in Ankara, Mr Clinton said: "The recent earthquakes have humbled us, reminding us that for all of the advances and our capacity to shape the future, there is much in life that lies utterly beyond our control."

That is the feeling among survivors in the earthquake zone, where freezing night temperatures and forecasts of heavy rain are making conditions even more difficult. There is an urgent need for high quality winter tents.

As more funerals were held, 2,000 body bags have been sent to the worst affected area around the town of Duzce.

Nevertheless, experts from 23 countries were scouring collapsed buildings, using listening equipment to detect signs of life under the rubble.

Food and medicines are available, but unrest is beginning to spread about the lack of shelter.

"It's impossible to get supplies," said one man who has assembled his own makeshift tent to house a family of seven.

Officials insist that the disaster will not disrupt plans for Mr Clinton's visit, or for the summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Istanbul at the end of the week.

In a speech to parliament, Mr Clinton stressed Turkey's importance as a force for stability in a difficult region: it borders the Middle East, the Caucasus and the Balkans.

"Turkey's past is key to understanding the 20th century," he said. "But, more importantly, I believe Turkey's future will be critical to shaping the 21st century."